Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-03-03
IMPROVED STOCK.
Some Points Which the Average FarnR
Should Take Into Consideration.

Sumo IOanto WnScn tho Average E0e0R
Should Take Into Conslder.tion.
While the great value of pure-bred
stock is being strongly insisted on. and
while the best evidence of this purity of
blood is ordinarily to be found in the
recorded or registered petligrees of the
animals. it does not follow that all
farmers should keep only pure-bred
stock. Well-bred animals are comrar.
atively costly. Many farmers can no,
afford to stock their farms with such.
1t is also true that for any purpose. ex.
cept breeding. animals with two Of
three crosses Of improved blood are
often nearly or quite equal to the pure
bred ones. This fact makes it possible
for the great mass of farmers to secure
much of the merit of the best stock
without extravagant expenditure. The
persistent use cf weii-bred and good
sires is ready means Of improving
stock. and open to almos: ali. With
the smaller and lower-priced stock, as
pigs and sheep, the extra cost of Il pure
bred sire is not a serious obstacle
With horses and cattle the sircs NAV hs
owned by two or more, or their services
may be hired.
In multitudes of cases it is advisable
to purchase at least one or two pure
bred females rs we'll rs sire. With
average good fortune herd or flock
can soon be built up in this way. On
the farms of the University of Illinois
we have dozen descendants of a Short
horn cow. which gave Eer first heifeI
calf in 1881, the sale of bull calves hav-
ing nearly or quite paid the cost OF
keeping in the interval.
1t is not advisable that the farmer OF
moderate means should purchase even
a single animal at a high price, or at
tempt to start with large herd OF
flock. Accidents may happen. The
results may be unsatisfactory from any
one of many causes. The estimate in
which the breed selected is held may
change for the worse. There may be
deaths or failures to breed among the
stock. The purchaser may prove to be
unsuited to the work. On the other
hand, it is great mistake to delay
year after year any attempt to improve
the stock on the farm. In ten years
fair-sized herd of cattle. and in less
than half that time good flock of
sheep or herd of hogs, can be had as
the progeny of only two or three
pounds.
The great increase in number Of
well-bred stock of the various classes
and of many breeds may prevent the
recurrence of extremely high prices
and it is not certain this will be mis-.
fortune-but there is no reason to be-
lievc that good stock will ever sell rs
low as poor stock. The present de-
preston i'll prices seems Il good season
for investing rather than Il cause for
The prices for ami
mails of some breeds may fall still lower
but in the cas-. of number of o hers
of breeds well established and the value
of which has been abundantly proven
there is good reason to believe the
lowest point has been reached.
l have known of serious losses, many
absolutely failures, by those who have
engaged in fine stock breeding. but |
these were always when there were
speculation and purchases in great |
or at 4 high price. | do not
recall one ease of failure OF serious loss
from Il carefully considered investment
in well tested breed ut moderate
prices.-Prot. L. G. -ao'ror, IN RUral
NeaO Yorker.